Method and system for controlling audio signals in multiple concurrent conference calls

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for controlling audio signals associated with a plurality of conferences. A user interface is displayed that depicts a first defined area and a second defined area. The first defined area is associated with a first conference and the second defined area is associated with a second conference. A first plurality of participant identifiers is displayed in association with the first defined area, and each of the plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to a different participant of a plurality of participants in the first conference. Aural position identifiers are determined for each participant associated with the first conference, and an aural position identifier is selected for the second conference. Audio signals are provided at aural positions identified by the aural position identifiers, enabling the user to correlate the voices of different participants with corresponding locations on the user interface, and to listen to multiple conferences simultaneously.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to conference calls, and inparticular to controlling the audio signals of participants in multipleconcurrent conference calls.

BACKGROUND

Conference calls reduce the need to travel, and consequently save moneyand time. In the past, people participated in conference calls via atelephone, but today many different types of processing devices,including desktop and laptop computers, tablet processing devices, slateprocessing devices, and smartphones can send and receive audio signals,and thus may be used for conferencing. Because such processing devicesmay have a display, user interfaces have been developed which simplifysetting up and/or participating in a conference call. Users of suchprocessing devices typically wear headsets, headphones, or earbuds inconjunction with a microphone to send and receive voice signals.

It is not uncommon to receive invitations to participate in multipleconference calls that are scheduled at times that overlap one another.Typically the invitee must turn down one of the invitations, even thoughthe invitee may want to participate in the call, and may know that thecall will nevertheless take place at the requested time irrespective ofwhether the invitee accepts or rejects the invitation. A participant ina conference call may spend 95% of the time listening, and 5% or less ofthe time speaking. However, not knowing exactly when the invitee may beexpected to speak, or may desire to speak, requires that the inviteelisten to the entire call, diminishing his ability to participate inmultiple conferences simultaneously.

Communications that occur via electronic devices are typically monaural;therefore, the voices of the participants in a conference generallysound as if they are emanating from the same location. In a conferencecall with a small number of participants where each participant may knowthe others, and may recognize the others' voices, monaural audio streamsmay be satisfactory. But as participants in a conference call begin totalk simultaneously, as frequently happens as a discussion gainsmomentum, communications quickly become indecipherable as listenerscannot discern who is saying what. Many conferencing systems attempt toimprove this situation by providing participants with only the voicesignals of the most active speaker, and those of the loudest participantattempting to interrupt the active speaker. This approach, however,effectively limits the conference to one or two speakers and tends toprioritize loud and persistent speakers.

For practical purposes, it would be extremely difficult, if notimpossible, to listen to concurrent conference calls using the samecommunications device, because the audio signals generated in eachconference would sound as if they were emanating from the same position.Consequently, it would be difficult or impossible for the participant tointuitively distinguish which audio signals were associated with whichconference.

Studies have established that the human brain can process multipleconcurrent audio signals in a stereo audio environment much easier thanin a monaural audio environment. Since many communication devices today,including many smartphones, are capable of providing a stereo signal toan output port, it would be beneficial if the audio signals associatedwith multiple simultaneous conference calls could be generated instereo, and placed at different aural positions such that a participantin multiple concurrent conference calls could easily and intuitivelydistinguish those audio signals emanating from one conference call fromthe audio signals emanating from another conference call. This wouldallow a participant to participate in multiple concurrent conferencecalls, and relatively easily distinguish what is being said in eachconference call.

SUMMARY

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to the control of audio signalsassociated with multiple concurrent conferences. In one embodiment, auser interface is displayed on a display, and the user interface depictsa first defined area which is associated with a first conference and asecond defined area that is associated with a second conference. A firstplurality of participant identifiers is displayed in association withthe first defined area. Each of the first plurality of participantidentifiers corresponds to a participant in the first conference. Asecond plurality of participant identifiers is displayed in associationwith the second defined area, and each of the second plurality ofparticipant identifiers corresponds to a participant in the secondconference. It is determined, via user input for example, that the firstconference is a selected conference.

An aural position identifier identifies an aural position, with respectto a reference position, at which an audio signal may be aurallypositioned. A plurality of first aural position identifiers isdetermined. Each first aural position identifier is based on a positionof a corresponding participant identifier of the first plurality ofparticipant identifiers and the reference position. A second auralposition identifier is determined for the second defined area, and isdifferent from each of the first aural position identifiers.

An audio signal of at least one participant in the first conference isprovided to an output port at an aural position based on the first auralposition identifier corresponding to the at least one participant. Anaudio signal from at least one participant in the second conference isconcurrently provided to the output port at an aural position based onthe second aural position identifier.

The user hears the participant in the first conference at the auralposition identified by the corresponding first aural positionidentifier, and concurrently hears the participant in the secondconference at the aural position identified by the second aural positionidentifier. Because the audio signals from the different conferences areat different aural positions, the user can easily discern from whichconference each voice is emanating. Moreover, because the audio signalsare aurally positioned via the user interface, the user can visuallycorrelate the audio signals with particular conferences.

The audio signal generated by the user may be provided to the selectedconference and not the non-selected conference. Thus, if the firstconference is the selected conference, and the user begins to speak, theaudio signal associated with the user's voice is provided to theparticipants in the first conference and not to those in the secondconference. The user may easily select the second conference to be theselected conference, and thereafter the audio signals generated by theuser will be provided to the second conference and not the firstconference.

In one embodiment, the second defined area may overlap the first definedarea, and the overlap area may include the second plurality ofparticipant identifiers. Each participant corresponding to one of thesecond plurality of participant identifiers is a participant in both thefirst conference and the second conference. In this manner, the user mayeasily initiate a “side” conference with a subset of participants in aconference, while concurrently listening to those participants in theoriginal conference who are not participating in the side conference.

In one embodiment, a volume of an audio signal may be based on adistance between a position of a defined area with respect to areference position. For example, a user may drag a defined areaassociated with a non-selected conference from a first position on theuser interface to a second position on the user interface which isfarther from the reference position than the first position. Inresponse, based on the increased distance, a volume of the audio signalsthat are generated in the non-selected conference may be decreased.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the presentembodiments and realize additional aspects thereof after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments inassociation with the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part ofthis specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theembodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system in which embodimentsdisclosed herein may be practiced;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary user interface according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 3 shows the exemplary user interface illustrated in FIG. 2 afterthe controlling participant has manipulated the user interface;

FIG. 4 is a high-level flowchart illustrating a method for controllingaudio signals in multiple simultaneous conference calls according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 5 shows the exemplary user interface illustrated in FIG. 3 afterthe controlling participant has manipulated the user interface again;

FIG. 6 shows the exemplary user interface illustrated in FIG. 5 afterthe controlling participant has selected the second conference;

FIG. 7 shows the exemplary user interface illustrated in FIG. 6 afterthe controlling participant has deselected the second conference; and

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a method for controlling audio signals inmultiple simultaneous conference calls according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information toenable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments andillustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading thefollowing description in light of the accompanying drawing figures,those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the embodimentsand will recognize applications of these concepts not particularlyaddressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts andapplications fall within the scope of the disclosure and theaccompanying claims.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to controlling audio signals frommultiple concurrent (i.e., simultaneous) conferences. While for purposesof illustration, the embodiments will be described herein in the contextof business conferences, the embodiments disclosed herein may beutilized in conference calls in any context.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system 10 in which embodimentsdisclosed herein may be practiced. The system 10 includes a plurality ofprocessing devices, including a media server 12 and a plurality ofcommunication devices 14A-14E (generally, communication device 14 orcommunication devices 14). The communication devices 14 may be anydevice capable of sending and receiving voice signals, and may comprise,for example, a computer; a personal digital assistant (PDA); a mobilephone, such as an Apple® iPhone®; or the like. The present embodimentstypically operate in the context of a conference, wherein at least twousers, such as a controlling participant 16A and one or moreparticipants 16B-16E (generally, participant 16 or participants 16), usethe communication devices 14A-14E to talk with one another. The phrase“controlling participant” is used herein to distinguish the particularparticipant that is manipulating a user interface to control how hehears audio signals associated with multiple concurrent conferences, asdiscussed in greater detail herein, from the other participants in theconference. However, the controlling participant is otherwise nodifferent from any other participant, and each participant may be a“controlling participant” in the sense that each participant may havethe ability to manipulate a user interface to control how they hearaudio signals associated with multiple concurrent conferences.

The communication devices 14 are communicatively coupled to the mediaserver 12 via a network 18. The communication devices 14A-14E mayconnect to the network 18 via any suitable network access paths 20A-20E(generally, network access path 20 or network access paths 20), such as,for example, telephony technology, digital subscriber line technology,cable modem technology, cellular technology, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, or thelike. Data, such as control signals and audio signals, as described ingreater detail herein, are typically carried over a correspondingnetwork access path 20.

An exemplary communication device 14, such as the communication device14A, includes a controller 22, which may include one or more centralprocessing units and random access memory (RAM) (not shown), forcontrolling the overall operation of the communication device 14A.Program modules (not shown) stored in the memory may be used to adaptthe controller to implement the functionality described herein.

The communication device 14A may also include a communications interface24 that is adapted to communicate with the network 18 to facilitatecommunications between the communication device 14A and externaldevices, such as the media server 12. The communication device 14A alsoincludes, or is coupled to, a display 26 upon which a user interface 28may be displayed and manipulated by the controlling participant 16A.During a conference, data received from the media server 12 via thecommunications interface 24 may be used to update the user interface 28.Data generated by the communication device 14A in response tomanipulations of the user interface 28 may be provided to the mediaserver 12 via the communications interface 24. The communication device14A also preferably includes an audio processor 30 which generates anaudio signal of the controlling participant 16A, and sends the audiosignal to the media server 12. The phrase “audio signal” refers to thevoice signals of a participant 16. The audio signal is typically adigitized data stream that is generated by the audio processor 30 andrepresents the voice signals of the respective participant 16. Over thecourse of a conference, the audio signal of any particular participant16 is generally discontinuous, in that the audio signal is typicallygenerated only when the participant 16 is actually speaking. As usedherein, the phrase “incoming audio signal” will refer to an audio signalthat is sent from a communication device 14 to the media server 12, andthe phrase “outgoing audio signal” will refer to an audio signal that issent from the media server 12 to a communication device 14.

The audio processor 30 receives outgoing audio signals from the mediaserver 12 and provides the outgoing audio signals to an output port 31to which a multi-channel capable device, such as a stereo headset 32,may be coupled. Those skilled in the art will recognize that othermulti-channel capable devices, such as stereo speakers, may also be usedto provide the outgoing audio signals to the controlling participant16A.

Each of the communication devices 14 establishes a communication session34, denoted by reference characters 34A-34E, respectively, with themedia server 12. A communication session 34 may comprise any type ofsession or connection between a respective communication device 14 andthe media server 12 that enables the transmission of an audio signalfrom the respective communication device 14 to the media server 12, andthe receipt of an audio signal from the media server 12 to therespective communication device 14, irrespective of the underlyingphysical infrastructure used to carry the audio signal, or theparticular protocol used to establish the communication session 34between the respective communication device 14 and the media server 12.Suitable protocols may include, for example, TCP/IP, Session InitiationProtocol (SIP), conventional PSTN signaling, or the like. Thecommunication sessions 34 are typically physically implemented over acorresponding network access path 20.

The media server 12 includes a communications interface 38 thatinterfaces with the communication sessions 34. The communicationsinterface 38 can comprise any suitable combination of hardware and/orsoftware necessary to receive incoming audio streams from thecommunication sessions 34, and send outgoing audio streams over therespective communication sessions 34. For example, the communicationsinterface 38 could comprise line cards if the communication sessions 34carry analog voice signals, or could comprise Ethernet circuitry if thecommunication sessions 34 carry packetized voice signals. The mediaserver 12 may also include an interactive voice recognition (IVR)processor 40 for routing a communication session 34 to the appropriateconference.

The media server 12 also includes a conference processor 42 that mayestablish one or more conferences between the participants 16. Theconference processor 42 includes a mixer 44 that enables the conferenceprocessor 42 to mix or combine multiple audio signals and provide amixed outgoing audio signal to one or more communication sessions 34, asdirected by the controlling participant 16A. Additional functionalityprovided by the mixer 44 will be described in greater detail herein. Theconference processor 42 includes, or is coupled to, a three-dimensional(3D) spatial audio engine (3DSAE) 46, which receives incoming audiosignals and aural position identifiers, modifies the audio signals, andgenerates outgoing audio signals that include characteristics, such asphase and frequency information, that aurally position the outgoingaudio signals at an aural position indicated by the aural positionidentifier. For example, the 3DSAE 46 may alter the audio signal of oneparticipant 16 to appear to be originating from a position that is infront of and to the left of the controlling participant 16A, and mayalter the audio signal of a second participant 16 to appear to beoriginating from a position that is in front of and to the right of thecontrolling participant 16A.

While for purposes of illustration the conference processor 42 isillustrated as containing the 3DSAE 46, the functionality of the 3DSAE46 may be integral with the conference processor 42 as illustrated, ormay be separate from the conference processor 42 and coupled to theconference processor 42 via a communications path. Similarly, while themixer 44 is illustrated separately from the 3DSAE 46, the 3DSAE 46 mayalso have mixing capabilities in addition to, or in lieu of, mixingcapabilities contained in the mixer 44. Thus, the functionality providedby the conference processor 42, the 3DSAE 46, and the mixer 44 may beimplemented by the media server 12 in one or more modules, depending ondesired design criteria. For purposes of illustration and brevity,functionality provided by any of the conference processor 42, the 3DSAE46, or the mixer 44 will generally be described as being provided by theconference processor 42 hereinafter. The media server 12 also includes acontroller 48 that includes a central processing unit and RAM (notshown). The controller 48 is coupled to each of the communicationsinterface 38, the IVR processor 40, and the conference processor 42, tocontrol operations thereof.

Embodiments disclosed herein enable the controlling participant 16A toaurally position the audio signals generated by the participants 16B-16Eat desired aural positions with respect to the controlling participant16A. Aural positioning is provided by the conference processor 42 viathe 3DSAE 46. The 3DSAE 46 can aurally position an incoming audio signalby modifying the incoming audio signal to generate an outgoing audiosignal stream that includes characteristics, such as frequency and phaseinformation, that aurally position the outgoing audio signal so that itis perceived by a listener, such as the controlling participant 16A, asoriginating from a designated position. The incoming audio signals maybe monaural or may be multi-channel. The outgoing voice signals aremulti-channel audio signals, such as stereo or Dolby Digital 5.1 audiosignals, and are provided to the controlling participant 16A via amulti-channel output device, such as the stereo headset 32. A 3DSAE 46suitable for use in the present embodiments may be obtained from AvayaInc., 211 Mt. Airy Road, Basking Ridge, N.J. 07920.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary user interface 28 according to oneembodiment, and will be discussed in conjunction with FIG. 1. The userinterface 28 has a first defined area 50 and a second defined area 52.The defined areas 50, 52 are preferably visually distinguishable fromone another, and from other portions of the user interface 28. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the defined areas 50, 52 compriseimages of light beams emanating from projectors 54, 56, respectively,but it will be apparent that any visually distinguishing characteristicmay be used to depict defined areas in accordance with the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

The first defined area 50 is associated with a first conference and thesecond defined area 52 is associated with a second conference. A firstplurality of participant identifiers 58B-58D (generally, participantidentifier 58 or participant identifiers 58) are displayed inassociation with the first defined area 50, and a second plurality ofparticipant identifiers 58E-58F are displayed in association with thesecond defined area. In one embodiment, the first conference may havebeen initiated by, for example, the controlling participant 16A clickingon a New Conference button 60, which may cause the first defined area 50to be depicted. The controlling participant 16A may then “drag and drop”the desired participant identifiers 58B-58D from a contacts list 62 intothe first defined area 50. As each participant identifier 58 is draggedfrom the contacts list 62 and dropped into the first defined area 50,the communication device 14A may send a control signal to the conferenceprocessor 42 with the contact information, such as a telephone number orthe like, of the participant 16 corresponding to the participantidentifier 58, requesting that the conference processor 42 initiate acommunication session 34 with the communication device 14 identified bythe contact information. In a similar manner, the controllingparticipant 16A may initiate a second conference with the participants16E and 16F. Alternately, the first conference may be a conference thatwas initiated by one of the participants 16B-16D, and the user interface28, at the initiation of the conference, may depict the first definedarea 50 and request that the controlling participant 16A join the firstconference.

While the participant identifiers 58 are depicted as iconic images forpurposes of illustration, the participant identifiers 58 may be stillimages or photographs of the corresponding participants 16, or maydisplay actual video of the participants 16 by virtue of video data thatis captured by the corresponding communication devices 14 associatedwith the participants 16 and provided to the communication device 14A ofthe controlling participant 16A.

In one embodiment, the controlling participant 16A may select one of theconferences to be a selected conference. The selected conference may,for example, be the conference which the controlling participant 16Awishes to speak to at a given point in time. The audio signal of thecontrolling participant 16A may be provided to those participants 16participating in the selected conference, but not provided to those inthe non-selected conference. The controlling participant 16A may selecteither the first conference or the second conference to be the selectedconference as desired. In one embodiment, the controlling participant16A may select a conference by selecting the first defined area 50 orthe second defined area 52 that is associated with the conference whichthe controlling participant 16A seeks to make the selected conference.

The selection may be made via an input device such as a mouse orkeyboard, or, if the display 26 is a touch display, via touch. Asillustrated herein, the defined area associated with the selectedconference will be distinguished from the defined area of thenon-selected conference via darker, or thicker, lines that define thedefined area. Thus, in FIG. 2, the selected conference is the firstconference, as illustrated by the first defined area 50 havingsubstantially thicker lines that define the first defined area 50compared to the lines that define the second defined area 52. It shouldbe apparent that any visually distinguishing characteristic may be usedto distinguish between the defined area associated with the selectedconference and the defined area associated with a non-selectedconference.

The participant identifier 58A₁ represents a reference position of thecontrolling participant 16A for aural positioning purposes of the audiosignals of the participants 16 in the selected conference. Eachparticipant 16 in the selected conference has a correspondingparticipant identifier 58 that is depicted in association with the firstdefined area 50. As illustrated herein, the participants 16 correspondto the participant identifiers 58 that have the same alphabeticreference character. Thus, the controlling participant 16A correspondsto the participant identifier 58A₁, the participant 16B corresponds tothe participant identifier 58B, the participant 16C corresponds to theparticipant identifier 58C, and the participant 16D corresponds to theparticipant identifier 58D.

For each of the participant identifiers 58B-58D in the user interface28, the communication device 14A calculates an aural position identifiercorresponding to the position of the respective participant identifiers58B-58D with respect to the reference position of the participantidentifier 58A₁. As discussed below, the reference position may alsoinclude an orientation attribute that identifies a reference directionfrom which an offset may be calculated or otherwise determined. Theaural position identifier may comprise any suitable information that canidentify, or otherwise define, the position of a respective participantidentifier 58B-58D with respect to the position of the participantidentifier 58A₁. For example, the aural position identifier may comprisean angle of the respective participant identifier 58B-58D with respectto an orientation of the participant identifier 58A₁, and a distance ofthe respective participant identifier 58B-58E from the participantidentifier 58A₁.

Aural position identifiers are provided to and used by the 3DSAE 46 togenerate an outgoing audio signal associated with a respectiveparticipant 16 with the appropriate characteristics, such as frequencyand phase information, so that the outgoing audio signal is perceived bythe controlling participant 16A as originating from the positionindicated by the aural position identifier. The distance information maybe used by the 3DSAE 46 to alter the loudness characteristics of theoutgoing audio signal.

For example, an aural position identifier may define an aural positionvia an angle of offset of a participant identifier 58 with respect to aparticular orientation of the participant identifier 58A₁. Assume thatthe participant identifier 58A₁ has an orientation toward a 0°/360°location on a 360° circle 64. In other words, the participant identifier58A₁ is “looking” toward the 0/360° mark on the 360° circle 64. Thus,the controlling participant's “ears” are oriented toward the 90° markand the 270° mark, respectively. Note that the 360° circle 64 isprovided for purposes of illustration, and would not necessarily bedepicted in the user interface 28.

The communication device 14A determines that the position of theparticipant identifier 58B is at a 43° position (i.e., in front of andto the left of the participant identifier 58A₁), and is located adistance 66 from the participant identifier 58A₁. The aural positionidentifier thus, in this example, may include the angle, 43°, and thedistance 66. Note that the distance 66 may be calculated from anydesired point on the participant identifier 58B with respect to anydesired point on the participant identifier 58A₁. The communicationdevice 14A sends the media server 12 an aural position control signalthat includes the aural position identifier and an identifieridentifying the audio signals that are to be aurally positioned, such asa communication session identifier identifying the communication session34B which corresponds to the participant 16B. The 3DSAE 46 aurallypositions the audio signal associated with the participant 16B at theaural position identified by the aural position identifier. The audiosignal is presented to an output port of the communication device 14Aand heard by the controlling participant 16A via a multi-channel outputdevice, such as a headset 32. The audio signal of the participant 16B isperceived by the controlling participant 16A as emanating from aposition that is 43° from the direction the controlling participant 16Ais facing, and thus the position of the audio signal visuallycorresponds with the position of the participant identifier 58B withrespect to the orientation of the participant identifier 58A₁ in theuser interface 28.

Similarly, aural position identifiers may be calculated for theparticipants 16C and 16D based on the positions of the participantidentifiers 58C and 58D, respectively, with respect to the position andorientation of the participant identifier 58A₁. The aural positionidentifiers are provided to the media server 12, and the 3DSAE 46aurally positions the audio signals of the participants 16C and 16Dbased on the aural position identifiers. In one embodiment, the distanceof a participant identifier 58B-58D from the participant identifier 58A₁may determine a volume of the audio signal of the correspondingparticipant 16. Thus, for example, in FIG. 2, the volume of the audiosignal of the participant 16D may be lower than the volume of the audiosignals of the participants 16B and 16C because the participantidentifier 58D is farther from the participant identifier 58A₁ thaneither of the participant identifiers 58B or 58C.

Audio signal volume control may also be implemented through one or moreother techniques. For example, in response to a selection of aparticular participant identifier 58, a volume selection tool may bedisplayed on the user interface 28. The controlling participant 16A mayadjust the volume selection tool, which may then cause the communicationdevice 14A to generate and send a control signal to the media server 12indicating that the volume of the audio signal of the participant 16 whocorresponds to the selected participant identifier 58 should bediminished.

While the controlling participant 16A hears the audio signals of theparticipants 16B-16D in the first conference, the controllingparticipant 16A concurrently hears any audio signals generated by theparticipants 16E or 16F in the second conference. Preferably, the audiosignals associated with the second conference are aurally positionedbased on a position of the second defined area with respect to areference position, such as the position of the participant identifier58A₁, or based on the position of the participant identifiers 58E or 58Fwith respect to a reference position, such as the position of theparticipant identifier 58A₁. Assume, for example, that the audio signalsassociated with the second conference are based on the position of thesecond defined area 52 with respect to the position of the participantidentifier 58A₁. In this example, the communication device 14Adetermines that the second defined area is at a 285° position withrespect to the orientation attribute of the reference position. Thecommunication device 14A provides an aural position identifier to themedia server 12 identifying the 285° position, and optionally a distanceof the second defined area 52 from the reference position. The 3DSAE 46may then provide to the communication device 14A audio signals generatedin the second conference at the designated aural position, such that thecontrolling participant 16A perceives the audio signal of either theparticipant 16E or the participant 16F at a position in front of and tothe right of the controlling participant 16A (i.e., 285° from theforward direction).

FIG. 3 shows the exemplary user interface 28 illustrated in FIG. 2 afterthe controlling participant 16A has manipulated the user interface 28.In particular, the controlling participant 16A has moved the seconddefined area 52 from a first location, as illustrated in FIG. 2, to asecond location, as illustrated in FIG. 3. In response to the movementof the second defined area 52, the communication device 14A determinesor otherwise calculates a new aural position identifier for the seconddefined area 52 with respect to the reference position. Thecommunication device 14A determines that the second defined area 52 isnow at a 268° position with respect to the reference position, andgenerates an aural position identifier indicating this new position, andprovides the aural position identifier to the media server 12. The 3DSAE46 thereafter provides any audio signals generated in the secondconference at the 268° position (i.e., such that the controllingparticipant 16A perceives the audio signals to be originating from aposition to the right and slightly behind the controlling participant16A), and no longer provides the audio signals generated in the secondconference at the 285° position.

FIG. 4 is a high-level flowchart illustrating a method for controllingaudio signals in multiple simultaneous conference calls according to oneembodiment. FIG. 4 will be discussed in conjunction with FIG. 3. Thecommunication device 14A displays the user interface 28, which depictsthe first defined area 50 and the second defined area 52 (step 1000). Afirst plurality of participant identifiers 58B-58D is displayed in thefirst defined area 50 (step 1002). A second plurality of participantidentifiers 58E-58F is displayed in the second defined area 52 (step1004). It is determined that the first conference is the selectedconference (step 1006). As discussed above, the determination may bemade, for example, via user input selecting the first defined area 50.First aural position identifiers are determined for each of the firstplurality of participant identifiers 58B-58D based on the position ofthe respective participant identifiers 58 and the reference positionindicated by the participant identifier 58A₁ in the first defined area50 (step 1008). At least one second aural position identifier isdetermined for the second defined area 52 (step 1010). The at least onesecond aural position identifier may be based on a position of thesecond defined area 52, or on the position of one or more of theparticipant identifiers 58E, 58F. The communication device 14A providesconcurrently to an audio output port an audio signal of at least one ofthe participants 16B-16D in the first conference at an aural positionbased on the first aural position identifier that corresponds to the atleast one participant 16, and an audio signal of at least one of theparticipants 16E-16F is provided at an aural position based on the atleast one second aural position identifier (step 1012).

FIG. 5 shows the exemplary user interface 28 illustrated in FIG. 3 afterthe controlling participant 16A has manipulated the user interface 28.In particular, the controlling participant 16A has moved the seconddefined area 52 from a first location, as illustrated in FIG. 3, to asecond location, as illustrated in FIG. 5, which is farther from thereference position indicated by the participant identifier 58A₁. Inresponse to the movement of the defined area, the communication device14A determines or otherwise calculates a new aural position identifierfor the second defined area 52 with respect to the reference position.The communication device 14A determines that the second defined area 52is at the same orientation (i.e., a 268° position with respect to thereference position) but is farther from the reference position, andgenerates an aural position identifier identifying this new position,and provides the aural position identifier to the media server 12. The3DSAE 46 thereafter provides any audio signals generated in the secondconference at the 268° position (i.e., such that the controllingparticipant 16A perceives the audio signals to be originating from aposition to the right and slightly behind the controlling participant16A), but at a decreased volume than prior to the movement of the seconddefined area 52, based on the greater distance.

FIG. 6 shows the exemplary user interface 28 illustrated in FIG. 5 afterthe controlling participant 16A has selected the second conference. Inparticular, the controlling participant 16A may have, using an inputdevice, clicked or otherwise indicated to the user interface 28 that thecontrolling participant has selected the second defined area 52. Inresponse, the user interface 28 visually distinguishes the seconddefined area 52, such as, for example, through the use of darker, orthicker, lines to define the second defined area 52 than those thatdefine the first defined area 50. The communication device 14Adetermines aural position identifiers for the participants 16E and 16Fbased on the positions of the corresponding participant identifiers 58Eand 58F with respect to the reference position indicated by participantidentifier 58A₂. In particular, the communication device 14A determinesthat the audio signal of the participant 16E should be positioned at a49° angle with respect to the reference position, and that the audiosignal of the participant 16F should be positioned at a 327° angle withrespect to the reference position. The communication device 14A providesthe aural position identifiers to the media server 12, along with anindication that the second conference is the selected conference. The3DSAE 46 will thereafter provide audio signals of the participants 16Eand 16F at aural positions such that the controlling participant 16Awill perceive the audio signal of the participant 16E as originating infront of and to the left of the controlling participant 16A, and theaudio signal of the participant 16F as originating in front of and tothe right of the controlling participant 16A. Moreover, because thesecond conference is the selected conference, the conference processor42 will provide the audio signal of the controlling participant 16A tothe participants 16E and 16F, but not to the participants 16B-16D.

The communication device 14A also determines an aural positionidentifier for the first defined area 50 based on the position of thefirst defined area 50, or based on the position of the participantidentifiers 58B-58D with respect to the reference position indicated bythe participant identifier 58A₂. Assume that the communication device14A places all audio signals emanating from the first conference at anaural position based on a position of the first defined area 50. In thisexample, the communication device 14A determines that the first definedarea 50 is at an 86° position with respect to the reference positionindicated by the participant identifier 58A₂. Thus, the controllingparticipant 16A will perceive any discussions occurring in the firstconference as originating directly to the left of the controllingparticipant 16A.

FIG. 7 shows the exemplary user interface 28 illustrated in FIG. 5 afterthe controlling participant 16A has deselected the second conference. Inthis example, neither the first conference nor the second conference isa selected conference. The user interface 28 may depict both the firstdefined area 50 and the second defined area 52 such that neither has thedistinguishing characteristic associated with a selected conference. Aparticipant identifier 58A₃ may be depicted that is positioned inneither the first defined area 50 nor the second defined area 52. Thecommunication device 14A may determine aural position identifiers forthe first conference and the second conference based on the position ofthe first defined area 50 and the second defined area 52 with respect tothe reference position indicated by the participant identifier 58A₃. Thecommunication device 14A determines that the first defined area 50 is ata 117° position with respect to the reference position and that thesecond defined area 52 is at a 232° position with respect to thereference position.

The communication device 14A provides the media server 12 withrespective aural position identifiers for the first conference and thesecond conference, and an indication that neither conference is aselected conference. The 3DSAE 46 provides audio signals originatingfrom the first conference at a 117° position, such that the controllingparticipant 16A perceives such signals as originating behind and to theleft of the controlling participant 16A. The 3DSAE 46 provides audiosignals originating from the second conference at a 232° position, suchthat the controlling participant 16A perceives such signals asoriginating behind and to the right of the controlling participant 16A.The conference processor 42 does not provide the audio signal of thecontrolling participant 16A to either the first conference or the secondconference.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a method for controlling audio signals inmultiple simultaneous conference calls according to another embodiment.FIG. 8A illustrates a user interface 28 having a first defined area 68corresponding to a first conference having six participants 16A-16F. Asdiscussed with respect to FIGS. 1-7, the communication device 14A maydetermine aural position identifiers that correspond to each of theparticipants 16B-16F based on the position of the correspondingparticipant identifiers 58B-58F with respect to the reference positionindicated by the participant identifier 58A₁. Assume that during thefirst conference, the controlling participant 16A desires to have a sideconference, or second conference, with selected participants 16 in thefirst conference. In particular, the controlling participant 16A wishesto speak to the participants 16D-16F but not participants 16B and 16C.

Referring now to FIG. 8B, assume that the controlling participant 16Aactivates the New Conference button 60, and a second defined area 70 isdepicted in the user interface 28. The controlling participant 16A moves(for example, via an input device) the second defined area 70 such thatit overlaps a portion of the first defined area 68 and encompasses onlythe participant identifiers 58D-58F. In response, the communicationdevice 14A may send a control signal to the media server 12 initiating asecond conference with participants 16A and 16D-16F. The communicationdevice 14A also determines first aural position identifiers for each ofthe participants 16D-16F, as described above, based on the position ofthe corresponding participant identifiers 58D-58F with respect to thereference position indicated by the participant identifier 58A₂. Thecommunication device 14A also determines at least one second auralposition identifier based on the first defined area 68. Thecommunication device 14A communicates the first and second auralposition identifiers to the media server 12, along with an indicationthat the second conference is the selected conference. In response, the3DSAE 46 generates audio signals associated with the participants16D-16F at the aural positions identified by the corresponding firstaural position identifiers, and any audio signals originating in thefirst conference by either the participant 16B or the participant 16C atthe aural position identified by the second aural position identifier.

Alternately, the communication device 14A may determine a second auralposition identifier for the participant 16B and the participant 16Cbased on the position of the corresponding participant identifiers 58Band 58C with respect to the reference position indicated by theparticipant identifier 58A₂. The conference processor 42 provides theaudio signal of the controlling participant 16A to the participants16D-16F, but not to the participants 16B and 16C. The controllingparticipant 16A may again select the first defined area 68 to be theselected conference, at which point each of the participants 16B-16Fwould be provided the audio signal of the controlling participant 16A.

While for purposes of illustration only two concurrent conferences havebeen discussed herein, the invention is not limited to two concurrentconferences, and has applicability to any number of concurrentconferences. Further, while the embodiments have been discussed in thecontext of the controlling participant 16A being the controllingparticipant, each of the participants 16 may have an analogouscapability on their respective communication devices 14, and each may beable to control audio signals in multiple concurrent conference calls.

Various aspects of the present embodiments may be embodied ininstructions that are stored in hardware, and may reside, for example,in RAM, flash memory, read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM(EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, ahard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form ofcomputer-readable or computer-usable storage medium known in the art.All or a portion of the embodiments may be implemented as a computerprogram product, such as the computer-usable or computer-readablestorage medium having a computer-readable program code embodied therein.The computer-readable program code can include software instructions forimplementing the functionality of the embodiments described herein. Anexemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anASIC. The ASIC may reside in a media server 12, or a communicationdevice 14, for example.

Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modificationsto the embodiments disclosed herein. All such improvements andmodifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosedherein and the claims that follow.

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling audio signalsassociated with a plurality of conferences, comprising: displaying, by aprocessing device, a user interface that depicts a first defined areaand a second defined area, wherein the first defined area is associatedwith a first conference and the second defined area is associated with asecond conference; displaying a first plurality of participantidentifiers in association with the first defined area, wherein each ofthe first plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to adifferent participant of a plurality of participants in the firstconference; determining a plurality of first aural position identifiersbased on a position of a corresponding participant identifier withrespect to a reference position, wherein each first aural positionidentifier corresponds to a different one of the first plurality ofparticipant identifiers, and wherein each first aural positionidentifier is different from the others; determining at least one secondaural position identifier associated with the second defined areawherein the at least one second aural position identifier is differentfrom each first aural position identifier; and providing concurrently toan audio output port an audio signal of at least one of the plurality ofparticipants in the first conference at an aural position based on thefirst aural position identifier corresponding to the at least one of theplurality of participants, and an audio signal of at least oneparticipant in the second conference at an aural position based on theat least one second aural position identifier.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising: determining that the first conference is a selectedconference; receiving an audio signal associated with a user of the userinterface; and in response to the first conference being the selectedconference, directing the audio signal of the user to the firstconference and inhibiting the audio signal of the user from being sentto the second conference.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:receiving, via user input, a selection indicating that the secondconference is the selected conference; receiving the audio signalassociated with the user of the user interface; and in response to thesecond conference being the selected conference, directing the audiosignal of the user to the second conference and inhibiting the audiosignal of the user from being sent to the first conference.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the second defined area at least in partoverlaps the first defined area to form an overlapped area, and whereina second plurality of participants corresponding to a second pluralityof participant identifiers in the overlapped area is participants inboth the first conference and the second conference.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein providing concurrently to the audio output port theaudio signal of the at least one of the plurality of participants in thefirst conference at the aural position based on the first aural positionidentifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality ofparticipants, and the audio signal of the at least one participant inthe second conference at the aural position based on the at least onesecond aural position identifier, further comprises: providingconcurrently to the audio output port the audio signals of the pluralityof participants in the first conference at aural positions based oncorresponding first aural position identifiers, and the audio signals ofat least two participants in the second conference at a same auralposition based on the at least one second aural position identifier. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second aural positionidentifier is based on a position of a participant identifiercorresponding to the at least one of the plurality of participants withrespect to the reference position, and wherein providing concurrently tothe audio output port the audio signals of the plurality of participantsin the first conference at aural positions based on corresponding firstaural position identifiers, and the audio signal of the at least oneparticipant in the second conference at an aural position based on theat least one second aural position identifier, further comprises:providing concurrently to the audio output port the audio signals of theplurality of participants in the first conference at aural positionsbased on corresponding first aural position identifiers, and the audiosignal of the at least one participant in the second conference at afirst aural position based on the at least one second aural positionidentifier, and the audio signal of a second participant of the secondconference at an aural position based on a position of a participantidentifier corresponding to the second participant and the referenceposition.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, viauser input, data indicating that a user has moved the second definedarea from a first position to a second position, wherein the secondposition is farther from the reference position than the first position;and in response thereto, decreasing a volume associated with the audiosignal of the at least one participant in the second conference.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first defined area comprises an image ofa first light beam, and the second defined area comprises an image of asecond light beam.
 9. A computer program product, comprising acomputer-readable medium having a computer-readable program codeembodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to beexecuted on a processor to implement a method for controlling audiosignals associated with a plurality of conferences, the methodcomprising: displaying, by a processing device, a user interface thatdepicts a first defined area and a second defined area, wherein thefirst defined area is associated with a first conference and the seconddefined area is associated with a second conference; displaying aplurality of participant identifiers in the first defined area, whereineach of the plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to adifferent participant of a plurality of participants in the firstconference; determining a first plurality of first aural positionidentifiers based on a position of a corresponding participantidentifier with respect to a reference position, wherein each firstaural position identifier corresponds to a different one of the firstplurality of participant identifiers, and wherein each first auralposition identifier is different from the others; determining at leastone second aural position identifier associated with the second definedarea wherein the at least one second aural position identifier isdifferent from each first aural position identifier; and providingconcurrently to an audio output port an audio signal of at least one ofthe plurality of participants in the first conference at an auralposition based on the first aural position identifier corresponding tothe at least one of the plurality of participants, and an audio signalof at least one participant in the second conference at an auralposition based on the at least one second aural position identifier. 10.The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method furthercomprises: determining that the first conference is a selectedconference; receiving an audio signal associated with a user of the userinterface; and in response to the first conference being the selectedconference, directing the audio signal of the user to the firstconference and inhibiting the audio signal of the user from being sentto the second conference.
 11. The computer program product of claim 10,wherein the method further comprises: receiving, via user input, aselection indicating that the second conference is the selectedconference; receiving the audio signal associated with the user of theuser interface; and in response to the second conference being theselected conference, directing the audio signal of the user to thesecond conference and inhibiting the audio signal of the user from beingsent to the first conference.
 12. The computer program product of claim9, wherein the second defined area at least in part overlaps the firstdefined area to form an overlapped area, and wherein a second pluralityof participants corresponding to a second plurality of participantidentifiers in the overlapped area is participants in both the firstconference and the second conference.
 13. The computer program productof claim 9, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, via userinput, data indicating that a user has moved the second defined areafrom a first position to a second position, wherein the second positionis farther from the reference position than the first position; and inresponse thereto, decreasing a volume associated with the audio signalof the at least one participant in the second conference.
 14. Aprocessing device, comprising: a communications interface adapted tocommunicate with a network; a display; and a controller comprising aprocessor coupled to the communications interface, the controlleradapted to: display a user interface on the display that depicts a firstdefined area and a second defined area, wherein the first defined areais associated with a first conference and the second defined area isassociated with a second conference; display a first plurality ofparticipant identifiers in the first defined area, wherein each of thefirst plurality of participant identifiers corresponds to a differentparticipant of a plurality of participants in the first conference;determine a plurality of first aural position identifiers based on aposition of a corresponding participant identifier with respect to areference position, wherein each first aural position identifiercorresponds to a different one of the first plurality of participantidentifiers, and wherein each first aural position identifier isdifferent from the others; determine at least one second aural positionidentifier associated with the second defined area wherein the at leastone second aural position identifier is different from each first auralposition identifier; and provide concurrently to an audio output port anaudio signal of at least one of the plurality of participants in thefirst conference at an aural position based on the first aural positionidentifier corresponding to the at least one of the plurality ofparticipants, and an audio signal of at least one participant in thesecond conference at an aural position based on the at least one secondaural position identifier.
 15. The processing device of claim 14,wherein the controller is further adapted to: determine that the firstconference is a selected conference; receive an audio signal associatedwith a user of the user interface; and in response to the firstconference being the selected conference, direct the audio signal of theuser to the first conference and inhibit the audio signal of the userfrom being sent to the second conference.
 16. The processing device ofclaim 15, wherein the controller is further adapted to: receive, viauser input, a selection indicating that the second conference is theselected conference; receive the audio signal associated with the userof the user interface; and in response to the second conference beingthe selected conference, direct the audio signal of the user to thesecond conference and inhibit the audio signal of the user from beingsent to the first conference.
 17. The processing device of claim 14,wherein the second defined area at least in part overlaps the firstdefined area to form an overlapped area, and wherein a second pluralityof participants corresponding to a second plurality of participantidentifiers in the overlapped area is participants in both the firstconference and the second conference.
 18. The processing device of claim14, wherein the controller is further adapted to: receive, via userinput, data indicating that a user has moved the second defined areafrom a first position to a second position, wherein the second positionis farther from the reference position than the first position; and inresponse thereto, provide a control signal to a media server to diminisha volume associated with the audio signal of the at least oneparticipant in the second conference.
 19. The processing device of claim14, wherein the controller is further adapted to: display, in responseto a selection of one of the first plurality of participant identifiers,a volume selection tool; receive, via user input, data indicating that auser has manipulated the volume selection tool; and in response thereto,provide a control signal to a media server to diminish a volume of theaudio signal of the participant who corresponds to the one of the firstplurality of participant identifiers.